Sadeq Hedayat offers the first reliable introduction to an Iranian writer whose genius is as elusive as the gazelle in the fourteenth-century Persian poet Hafiz's poem... Katouzian deftly dispels the legends about Hedayat that have grown up since his death... Katouzian has produced a study which all who want to understand Iran ought to read. This is a Life which inevitably tells more about Irans sufferings in the modern world than many other books do. * Peter Avery, Times Literary Supplement *
a skilful and pioneering study of Sadiq Hedayat which builds on previous scholarship. * Muslim World Book Review *
Homa Katouzian has merely reminded us in this revised edition of his already seminal work that he is bar-none the final word on Sadeq Hedayat. This work is a testament to Katouzians uncanny ability to synthesize society, literature, politics, and a literary persona in a particularly important century in Irans turbulent and experimental history. The unabashedly informed penmanship, invigorated by well-researched scholarship that is devoid of what we see today are flights of pomp and fancy makes this revised, larger edition a celebrated platform upon which studies on Hedayat can be nurtured: mindful of philology, sociology, and culture. Homa Katouzian carefully draws a logical road map of Hedayats time and life: from birth to suicide; all awhile surgically keeping the milieu and many of its most pertinent facets in a literary personas life present in his discourse. The development of the theme in this book leaves no room for confusion in the flow of this book and as such in the way it informs. Kudos to Professor Katouzian as this is simply a masterpiece: New and improved and AGAIN! * Alireza Korangy, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Persian Literature *
A must read for anyone who is exploring the field of modern Persian literature, culture, and politics. Katouzian brilliantly and carefully provides a tangible and original framework with which to present an alternative understanding of the life and career of Sadeq Hedayat in the socio-political context of modern Iran. * Fatemeh Shams, University of Pennsylvania, USA *
'In this book Homa Katouzian walks the readers, both the experts on Iran and Persian literature and those who might not be familiar with that country and its culture, through the maze of Hedayats life and mind via his stories producing the most thorough, well researched, and reader friendly account of Sadeq Hedayats life and work.' * M. R. Ghanoonparvar, The University of Texas at Austin, USA *
